On the Quiet
by Djwhitebooty
Summary: "But I'll just burden you."   "A burden from a beautiful woman like you? There's no such thing."
1. The Encounter

Hello there. **Before I introduce this fanfic, I will let you know this is rated M for a reason! Don't read if you don't like lemon, rape, gore, etc.** This is my first real fanfiction from AC, and I hope you all like it. I will try to not have any holes with my fanfiction and the real story of AC and Ezio, so if there are any let me know and I will fix that right away! I personally don't like any romances Ezio was in, but what's done is done. I just don't want to add the fling he has with Caterina, since I don't really like her. LOL. That's just me, though. Ezio deserves someone better. ;D Please R&R to your fullest extent! (I have dyslexia so any missing words or letters you can inform me of will be extremely helpful to me.) I want to know everything you are thinking! 3 Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy it!

*****YOU ARE FOREWARNED: THERE IS DESCRIPTION OF A RAPE SCENE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE RAPE, THEN SKIP IT, PLEASE.*********

Please don't complain about it! It is part of the story! And don't worry, it's not her as a girl. It's her when she is 16- so she is _technically_ a woman at this time. In this time people were marrying children, so yeah...

Also, the first part of the chapter is mainly about Annata. Ezio will be in it, don't worry.

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><p><em>Italics<em> - Thoughts, dreams, and italian.

**Bold** - Stressed words, unknown voices, and memories.

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><p>My OC's name is Annata. She's about Ezio's height, but doesn't get any taller which means he outgrows her in the future. (: Instead of me filling out a 2 paragraph long description about her, I drew some pictures for you! One is of her in the Assassin's uniform, another one is what her body looks like underneath that uniform, and the last one is of her face. I hope you all enjoy my drawings! x]<p>

The link for the images are my homepage link. Please view! ^_^

Side note- when you read she recalls what happens when she was 2. This is because the ringmaster told her all of this. He really doesn't care and tells her anything on his mind, even though she's just a little girl.

Her personality is a bit weird. Half the time she is lost in her own world and asks herself a lot of questions, making her unable to grasp what's happening around her. When she is concentrating on something she doesn't notice anything or anyone, which in turn causes her to be normally clumsy. The only time she is using all of her senses is when she is performing, where she rarely messes up. She's a huge scatter brain, and being a pisces doesn't help either. She's extremely passionate and exhibits many obvious traits of a piscean. (If you are not aware of the Pisces zodiac sign, google it. It will make sense.) She has more than one talent besides being an acrobat, but she is embarrassed to express the other talents.

She will most likely annoying you at times, and it's ok. Even perfect people are annoying. ;D

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><p>On the Quiet<p>

Chapter 1 - The Encounter

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><p>My seemingly good night's rest was cut short by ominous boom of thunder raging across the sky. If it wasn't bad enough I had an important performance tomorrow, my ankles were still bruised from the previous training session. The ringmaster didn't like it when I lost my balance, and used pain as a way to get my determination up to par with his expectations for his performers. I whimpered slightly as another clap of thunder came booming, almost like a cannon was being fired at our carriage. It sat up and rubbed my eyes of sleep, being careful of my aching ankles as I pulled the blanket over my chest. The carriage didn't have much in it. A desk for lessons, a bed of hay with a few layers of cloth over it, a lamp for my fear of the dark, and just the right amount of free space for me to practice some exercises. When another boom of thunder and lightening breached my ear drums, I figured some extra training wouldn't be too bad. (Performance was early in the morning, anyway.)<p>

I stretched as much as my six year old body allowed me to, spreading my legs straight across my body and bending sideways to touch my left toe. I've grown accustomed to extremely stretching my body to its limits since about four years ago when my family tried to sell me to slavers. The slavers didn't see any value in a toddler, so they sold me to a circus in the eastern countries where I went some through some serious and vigorous training. I know I'm young and brittle, but I've learned things that normal kids wouldn't know. I wasn't able to play and pretend to be a princess, unable to devote my time to dressing my hair and painting make-up on my pale skin. The ringmaster did not see the value in me being princess or an angel or a pirate, but only as an acrobat for his circus. Moving my body to the other side, I managed to touch my right toe with some difficulty. Being left handed didn't help me that much in my training, but master said I will eventually grow out of that and become omni-.. ommi-.. ombi-something and have the ability to use both my hands equally.

Getting up from my position gracefully, I walked next to my desk where my performing clothes had been laying dormant for a few days after traveling. It was snug and fit me nearly perfectly, the Chinese linen being able to stretch to my growing figure. It was a good thing master gave my many of these for all my stages of growth, or I'd be in some serious trouble. I grabbed the outfit and disrobed from my current wear- a large tunic and short pants- trying to lift my left leg to get into it. That was all in vain when my ankle gave out on me and I came crashing to the floor. I bit back the urge to scream in pain at my now bleeding ankle and proceeded to put the outfit on laying down instead of standing up, trying my best to keep the blood off of the floor and the outfit. Taking a really deep breath, I used my left foot to kick my self into a sort of blackflip-somersault and landed back on that foot. Making sure there was no one watching me from the window (Master would sometimes check up on my training when I wasn't looking), I hopped my way back to the desk, grabbing some bandages from the bottom drawer. I sat back down on the floor and lifted the leg of my suit to uncover the injured ankle, tightly wrapping the bandage around it, letting that suffice for now and just suffer with my pain throughout the performance. I didn't want master to be upset and whip me again- whippings were always more horrible than my performance injuries.

I also didn't want to anger master. His heart was in horrible condition and the _dottore_ said it wouldn't be long before his anger got the best of him. Master never tried to do anything wrong to my person, he only punished me because he knew what was best for my body and mind- and for his heart. I did whatever it took to keep him happy. I liked it when he smiled and told me good job, patting my head and bringing me and the other performers out for a feast to remember. Though, I knew for sure that I would be the one left out of the feast this time. Every time I messed up a performance I had to fast and eat nothing but lettuce leafs, water, and green tea to keep my training at its peak. I didn't know how much I was able to do with my hurt ankle, but I tried my best to keep my master happy. As the thunder rolled away from where we camped, I continued stretching and training my moves for tonight's performance. I had to find a way to perform with an injured ankle.

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><p>"<em>Mio dio!<em> You can't do a simple back flip?" He was yelling furiously at the newest recruit to our gang, who was trying to prepare for the show while the audience paid for their seats and filled in the tent. We didn't have anything extravagant since we were a traveling circus, so our audience was able to stand up behind railing that was donated by local nobles who wanted to watch the show. Local guards were also places in front of them so people wouldn't venture far from their place behind the railing. I was preparing in the small roped net that was used for training, the ropes being a little loose so I was able to use it to bounce higher than normal.

"There's going to be _nobili! NOBILI!_" He continued his rant on the boy as I watched from the corner of my eye and gulped. I really hoped that I wouldn't mess up this time.

"Watch! Even a mere six year old _ragazza _can best you at this! _Idiota!_" He proceeded that insult with a slap to his face, making him turn his face to the ground in shame. Master kicked him in the abdomen and stomped towards me, saying that I was going to be the new opening act and that I could use a dance I made up recently and never used- which was made for horses. Oh how I hated horses and the way they made my feet hurt, but at the same time they were so graceful and beautiful that I- for a few moments- would forget about my discomforts and continue my plight with the creatures.

Looking back at the boy, I felt bad for him. I wanted to go up to him and give him a hug, telling him everything was going to be ok and that if he trained to keep the master happy then everything was going to be better. But, by the time I had the chance to comfort him, the master realized that the tent and was full and ran out into the ring. Looked at my master and the boy, leaving the comforting for after the show. I ran to the other side of my room and slipped on my performing shoes, not wanting to fall off of the horse, and ran to another room to get my horse. Her fur was a pale brown that matched my hair, but it reminded me mostly of my pale skin. Even though I was a performer, I wasn't outside much. My time was dedicated to studying and training and performing. I watched closely as he introduced the staff and performers, talking a little bit and cracking some jokes, making the audience laugh. Sometimes it was loud laughter and other times it was giggles and chuckles. While he was lifting up the moods of the audience, I stood on top of my steed and balanced myself out well. I knew this performance by heart, and put my heart and soul into showing my master for the first time weeks ago. He liked it but didn't see any time to put it in a performance at the time, but now was my time to shine. My creativity and heart was going to be put in that ring. I sucked in a breath as master noted for the horse to trot out from the curtain and circle the ring- with me standing perfectly still on top of her. I bit my tongue at the pain in my ankle, keeping a straight and motionless face as I began to move.

As the music started to go faster, so did my horse. Instead of walking in a circle, she started to run into a circle, and as my dance neared it's end she was galloping circles around flaming fences. If it wasn't bad enough, I had to jump with her as she jumped over them. I think she was more fearful of her life in the ring than I was. It had to take a lot of willpower for her to not overreact and send me flying into the fence. The music stopped and she came to a halt, sending me flying into the middle of the ring. Though, this was part of the routine. I flipped in a fancy way and made sure I landed on my left (unharmed) foot, keeping the right in the air as I bowed to my cheering and whistling audience. This has to be the greatest moment of my life. My own performance that I created being cheered on. I smiled as big as I can as master walked up and hugged me gently. I actually wanted to cry out of sheer joy, not pain or suffering or fear.

The master kept me in a slight hug and started blabbering to the audience again, which gave me a chance to scan the audience myself. I can tell in front of me were the nobles, on the side were the middle class, and in the back were the peasants and merchants. Their clothes said it all. I noticed in the nobles was a small kid there, maybe about my age or older, just glaring me down like I just killed his pet or mother. What did I ever do to him? He was apparently angry- or maybe jealous. Was it because I could do these things better than him? Was it because he knew me from somewhere and I don't remember? It baffled me to no end, but I had to cut my thoughts short as master introduced another act, where me and my partners would display our skills on poles and ropes and beams- both flaming and non. Adrenaline still pumping from my dance, I felt no pain in my ankle. This was surely a glorious day- for sure.

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><p>It had been ten years since that day. Ten years of nonstop training, performances, punishments, along with feasts and moments of glory that filled my memory. Despite my new figure and facial features, it was almost as if nothing had changed in the circus. Small carriages soon turned into bigger ones as I got older and my performances were more often than usual. Men would often whistle at me and make suggestive movements towards my breasts, making me uncomfortable while performing but that didn't stop me in any way. A lot of the time my master would talk with me about wrapping my chest so it could a little more flat and versatile enough for me to move around without my breasts weighing me down. My own body made me distraught and sometimes I thought of ways I could get rid of them, but there was no way to get rid of a body part without ending in tragedy.<p>

I was sitting along in my private carriage, something I had the privilege of owning since I was merely five. Night was creeping up on the sun, and the sun was retreating behind the mountains and let the darkness take over in a short amount of time. Tears had escaped my eyes as I turned the lamp on, licking my fingers and sticking them on the lit match to put it out. I sniffled and began to think what I was going to do with my life. I had nothing; no one to go home to. Was I going to be out on the streets? How will I eat? Sleep? There was no way I could live outside the circus! My master said he really wanted me to stay, but from the looks of his face he didn't sincerely mean it. Being the only one to have stayed with him for so long, I seemed to be the only one who can sense any emotion from him besides rage.

I jumped out of my seat when I heard loud banging at my door, and men loudly calling out my name. Was it more fan-boys? These drunkards were always so persistent and they had a bad habit of stalking. But... It's not like it mattered if I ran away or not. Maybe finding a suitor and settling down would have to be my new goal in life. There was a problem with that solution, however: I had no idea how to please a man let alone cook him a proper supper. Where did the children even come from? Were my breasts the baby-makers or were they just for show? So many questions buzzed through my head before the door snapped open and a set of men wrapped in metal and holding weapons were standing before me.

"**That's the **_**puttana! **_**She'll fetch a fine price on the market!"** I heard a voice in the background, and it sounded very familiar to me. Too familiar. When the men grabbed my hands I was able to get a glimpse of my master, who looked angrier than ever and a strange man standing next to him with an evil smile plastered across his face. What was the meaning of this? Who were these men? What kind of price was I going to be fetched for? I pulled my arms away from the guards with my superior strength and agility, managing to swing from the roof of my carriage and into the busy streets of the town called _Venezia. _At this moment in time I was glad to be taught Italian when I was younger.

I ran as far as my feet could take me, taking little time to notice my surroundings and managing to be hit by a passing carriage. The owner didn't seem to care at all, however, and didn't even stop to say he's sorry for hitting me. I rubbed my temples and quickly began to realize that this was more than just a bump on the head. There was blood- and lots of it. Sitting in my spot on the street, I felt around my head for any gashes or wounds, and a very prominent one was sitting on the side of my head. Usually blows like this would knock me out, but for whatever reason it just impaired me for moments on end. I struggled to stand up once I heard the men running my way, but it was all in vain. I was only human, and I slowly began to realize that fact when I was picked up by the guards, my hands tied behind my back, and dragged into their own personal carriage. My eyesight started to become hazy, but I could see the look of sheer terror on my master's face as the horses carried us away.

One of the guards came up to me and dressed my wounds while another examined me closely. "It seems like she would be worth more than just a few thousand florins, don't you think?" He stated, kneeling down and grabbing my chin to examine me better. Someone in the corner of the carriage scoffed and walked up to me, kicking me in the back and slammed his foot on the pit of the stomach. Never before had I been knocked out of breath this roughly. I hacked up something nasty from the pit of my throat and coughed like someone who had been smoking a pipe for years. It took more than just moment to breathe more than normally again, but I didn't think this man was going to let me recover so easily.

"**My son wanted a pretty woman to bed with, nothing more."** He retorted, grabbing be by my hair and lifting me off of the ground slowly. I wished that I didn't let my hair grow out at that moment, and hissed in pain from the newly dressed wound now being pulled. I could feel the blood almost pour into the bandages when I was lifted off of the ground.** "Her body is just a mere perk in the purchase." **I took this moment to get a close look at him, but regretted doing it in the end. He was not a lovely man, his facial hair meeting up his long, woman-like hair and running past his shoulders. His breath reeked of wine and something foul I had never smelt before in my life, and never wanted to.

"But Francesco.."

"Silence! You impotent fool!" Francesco bit back ferociously, leaving the two guards no room to argue. He was apparently a higher position than the two of them. I stared at the guards and mentally pleaded for their help, but they escaped through the roof of the carriage as the man told them to leave at once. Everything started to go fuzzy again as he held me in the air still, the blood from my head breaching my bandages and having a race down the side of my face. He suddenly dropped me to the floor and took his gloves and weapons off of his body, including his tunic. He was well in shape but his body smell was completely horrible. I didn't know if I wanted to hit myself in the wound to pass myself out or just let myself suffocate in the smell.

"I know you are nothing now.." He began, his hand clasping the top of my own tunic and ripping it open in one swoop. I gasped as the cold air brushed against my skin.

"But when I am done with you, you will become the little _puttana_ my son has always dreamed of." Francesco said, trying to seduce me into becoming a whore- of sorts. What did a whore do anyway? Did they take random men and sell them kisses behind closed doors? A cold hand reached the inside of my pants and roughly brushed against my... _Parts_. I groaned at the sudden sensation and my body curled itself into a ball. This was nothing I have ever felt before! It was amazing just as much as it was scary. Tears rolled down my cheeks and I grunted after a few breaths. I looked up at the ugly man, who was now bearing an evil smirk at my actions.

"Do you know what just happened?" He inquired in my ear, nipping the base of my neck. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling as I shook my head to say 'no,' which only made him laugh at me. "This will only hurt for a second." I heard him whisper to me. What was going to hurt? Something told me I should be scared. My subconscious screamed for me to call for help, but I didn't know anyone who would save me. I merely watched in horror as he slipped my pants off of me, revealing my bare body to the coldness of the spring night. I felt embarrassed, scared, but most of all lonely. Without my master, there was no one there to protect me from this man. I bowed my head in shame and watched as the blood dripped onto my body. Even my injuries didn't stop him from advancing in his actions.

He had managed to take his own clothes off while I was looking the other way, and now there was something touching what he had touched earlier. What was that _thing_? I had no idea and I didn't want to find out anytime soon. I tried to scream for help when it started to part my skin and reach my insides, but his strong hand slapped me as hard as it could, making my head quickly move in the other direction. I could feel bits of tissue in between my teeth, which made it nearly impossible to move the swollen cheek away from them.

Then, I felt it. It was like someone stabbed me in the stomach one hundred times and counting. It felt like it was going away for a minute before he start moving, and the pain rolled back and suffocated my senses. I bit my lip as hard I could so I wouldn't scream and get slapped again, but breaking my ankle was less painful than what he was doing to me now. I wanted to look down and see what was happening, why it hurt so much and why he was making weird noises, but I told myself not to look. I could already imagine what it looked like and left it to my mind to make it up. I felt his hips start hitting me harder and harder as the sweat from his body increased. That alone made it much more harder to keep myself from screaming for any kind of help. I just begged God for this torture to end soon.

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><p>Tonight was the first time since he started the torture that I was able to sleep. After what felt like hours of agonizing pain, he started to feel tired and finished, leaving me there to sit in my own blood and filth. At least he was nice enough to redress the wound on my head and give me a dose of iron for my blood loss. Though, I was sure it was just to make sure I didn't die from my wounds, seeing as his son wanted me alive for something I didn't even know for sure. Francesco said something about his son wanting to bed.. Is this was that meant? If it was, I didn't want any part of this "bedding" activity and I needed to formulate a way to escape from these people.<p>

That was rather difficult with my hands bonded behind my back.

I didn't want to think too hard about this. I was an acrobat! Trained in martial arts, and not to mention the ability to move in any direction I pleased. If I could squeeze my body into a tiny box, then I could surely get out of these ropes. I tried my best to fit my fingers through the loops of the knot, but it was too tight to move them any further. If I tried to untie it I would break my fingers in the process. I bit back a lake of tears forming in my eyes as I desperately tried to free my bonds. My attempt at escaping ended when the carriage stopped and my back nearly slammed again the wall. I cursed aloud at the pain, and decided to give up trying to get out of the rope.

"Veiri!" I heard Francesco yell from outside the carriage. My body trembled in fear at the sound of his voice.

"Ah, _mi padre!_ Where have you been these past few days?" Veiri asked his father, which in turn made him open the doors to the carriage and reveal my naked and beaten figure. If It wasn't bad enough I was naked, I had no way of covering the nudity. I looked up at Veiri with fear and (some) rage, hoping that he wouldn't repeat his father's actions. He took little time walking up to me and grabbing my face, bruised and all, and examining it closely. My breathing was sporadic from fear and my body wouldn't move an inch.

"It's a fine gift, father, but she is a bit worn out. Don't you think?" He turned from my body and walked back towards Francesco, who now bore a face of disapproval.

"It was merely the training process. Her face will be back to its formal glory in a few day's time." With that, Veiri thanked him for the gift and walked in the other direction to have a talk with him. There were no guards, nothing chaining me to the carriage, and the doors were wide open for me to just walk out. I felt my heart pumping a new speed as I anticipated my escape, forcing my body to stand up and stay up long enough for me to run. I could feel my mind being freed of any pain as I crept towards the opening.

I managed to get far enough to look outside of the doors. My jaw dropped at the city before me. It was big, colorful, and not to mention beautiful under the full moon. I had to save my curiosity for later, however, when I looked in the other direction and the two men were still talking, but now guards were involved with the conversation. My heart skipped a beat as I took my first step on the road, my feet finally able to meet with the ground below me. I felt like kissing the ground, but there wasn't time for that. I had to run while I felt no pain, so I wouldn't get punished again. Francesco's punishments were far worse in comparison to my master's.

"The _puttana_! She's escaping!" I heard a guard yell from the group. I cursed and ran my way through the streets as fast as I could, taking as many turns as I saw. My lungs screamed for closure as I reached the market place, but it was too open for me to hide anywhere. They would find me in a heartbeat. Not to mention the lack of people at night made it worse. There was, again, no one there to rescue me. When my lungs were ready to collapse there would be no one there to save me. I stopped momentarily at an intersection of roads, and took one where I didn't hear the guards running. They were trying to trick me and catch me at a dead end, I knew they were.

I managed to hide in a small opening between to buildings, despite the fact that my breasts were uncomfortably being pressed against the concrete. A small sacrifice was more than enough to get away from a lifetime of pain. I held my breath as they ran by my hiding place, spouting various curses and arguments as they ran in search of me. I used the time I had when they were in the other direction to let my lungs have a break. When the coast was clear, I moved from my position and kept running forward, looking around for anyone that may be up at this hour. To my dismay, most lights were off and it seemed that people were sleeping soundly in their homes. I cried out in frustration and stopped running, the pain in between my legs and on my head resurfacing to their former glory.

I wanted to die right then and there. With my injuries I knew it would be a matter of time before they caught me and punished me. I feared for my life and my body, not wanting to feel that amount of pain again. I dropped to my knees and began sobbing uncontrollably, unable to bottle my emotions. They were surely going to do horrible things to my person since I ran away. Why did I have to run away! I'm such an idiot!

Then, in a string of luck, I heard a window close and a young couple exchange goodbyes for the night. I turned my head to the noise and saw a man climb from the girl's window and drop to the ground. Since the night was fairly chilly, he had a coat on over his normal clothes. I couldn't find my voice. The sheer happiness of finding someone in the dead of night made me unable to voice myself. Though, I did manage to be loud enough for him to notice me.

"_Aiutatemi!_" I managed to breathe out at the man, who saw me and quickly ran to my side. He tried helping me to my feet, but soon realized I was in no condition to be on my feet and lifted me into his arms. I could tell he was about ask me what happened, but the sound of guards running and De' Pazzi screaming made him realize the seriousness of the situation. He ran into a bush planted in front of the girl's home and hid us both behind it, the both of us remaining deadly silent as the men passed. I looked up at him as he scanned the area closely, but I could barely make out the features on his face. It was too dark to see anything.

"_Mi scusi." _I blurted out.

"Why are you sorry, _signorina_?" He asked me. A chill raced down my spine as a breeze flew by, signaling that I haven't been properly clothed for a while. Bracing me with one of his knees, he quickly took his coat off and covered me with it. It was if all my worries went into the trash as the warmth of the coat touched my cold body.

"To have caused you such trouble." I responded. "But don't worry! By tomorrow I'll be able to leave and-" My words were cut off by a finger placed on my chapped lips.

"You need not worry. My family will take care of this. I have a score to settle with Veiri de' Pazzi, anyway. There's no need for you to leave." I couldn't help but smile at his kindness, but my gut told me that I shouldn't burden people and bring them into my affairs. I wanted to be able to run on my own, away from contact with the human world. I wanted to go back to the circus, where I didn't have to worry about the real world.

"But I'll just burden you."

"A burden from a beautiful woman like you? There's no such thing." I blushed at his charming words, scooting my body a bit closer to his for some more warmth. I tried to move my arms so they could join, but they were still bounded behind my back. I felt stupid for not remembering that when he started talking to me. Though, that didn't stop him from taking out a small dagger and cutting my hands free. I sighed in relief as the rope released my wrists and color rushed back to my hands.

"My family's Palazzo isn't very far from here, just hold on tight." Which I did without hesitation. I gripped his shirt with all my might not only out of fear of falling, but also of fear that I would have to go back to those people. I hid my face underneath the coat so he couldn't see my tears and see me tremble in his arms. I gasped as a familiar pain reached between my legs as my savior started jogging to his home. Not wanting to disturb him, I made sure that he wasn't able to notice it.

"We're here." He spoke softly, my mind releasing any and all fear that was settled for the ride. I gripped him a little looser as we inched toward the front door, surprised as a furious young woman sprang in front of us.

"Ezio! Where have you been! Mother was worried about yo-" I didn't really look at the girl since she was scolding Ezio (and I'm glad I finally know his name), but I was sure that she stopped because she saw me in his arms.

"What did you do!" She yelled.

"How can you accuse me of such things, Claudia! I found her like this!"

"And for what reason!" Ezio was clearly frustrated at this point, I could feel his strength leaving his arms as he was losing the battle between him and Claudia. I wanted to interject but that would be rude of me, seeing this was between them two.

"You say these things but why can't she speak for herself?" Claudia demanded, moving the coat from my face to try and talk to me. I bit my tongue, literally, and refused to speak to either of them. It was embarrassing. What if either of them didn't know why Francesco did those things to me? Would they even know what it was called? I shoved my face in Ezio's shirt, which surprised him and made Claudia grunt in frustration.

"Can't we just help her?" Ezio was so kind to me, there was no way I'd be able to repay him in any other way than to leave as soon as possible. He was already being chewed by someone who was clearly younger than him, and his family probably felt the same as she did. I saw how these things worked from time to time. There was one good member of the family that just wanted to help, while the other dismissed his beliefs and substituted their own, leaving him to fend for himself.

"Fine, I'll get mother." And the battle was done. Ezio had won and I felt relieved that I was going to get some type of help before my departure. Maybe his family wasn't so bad after all. I peeked my head over the coat and my eyes were suddenly penetrated by many lights in the home. I adjusted to the light soon enough for me to see both women run into the room with worried looks on their faces. Their mother looked more caring than Claudia just by the worried expression on her face, but I wouldn't really know how she was until I got to know her. They started asking questions about me and why he found me this way, but he responded that he didn't know himself. He stated that the de' Pazzi's were chasing me along with some guards, so slavers might have been involved with them. When they asked me, I didn't want to answer. They didn't need to know my life story- not that there was much of one in the first place. Instead of bombarding me with more questions, their mother merely accepted my muteness and told Ezio to place me in the bathroom- her and Claudia would help me from here.

He obediently followed his mother down the hall and into another room, where he placed me on a small stool that was big enough just for me to sit on. There was a tub and a bucket there, which so happened to be filled with steaming water. Someone was probably about to take a bath before I came here. How much more of a burden could I be? Claudia left the room to talk with Ezio and called their maid to come help with me. I didn't want Ezio to leave my side, he was the only one I felt safe around, despite the fact that he was a complete stranger to me. Once the door closed I was left alone with the two unnamed women, and he had taken his coat back with him. I felt alone and I tensed up as they grabbed a cloth and began to rub the blood off of my arms and torso. It wasn't painful in the least, but it was still uncomfortable. I wanted to do it myself, but the strength completely left me once Ezio lifted me from the ground and carried me here.

"_Oh, mio dio._" The servant whispered as started cleaning my legs. The further she moved north, the more it hurt. By the time she reached my inner thigh, I grabbed her hand and pushed her away by reflex. I didn't want anyone to touch me there again, it was too painful. The mother ran up to me and grasped my hand, telling me that they had to check... there.. To see what damage had been done. I was reluctant, but I opened my legs enough for her to look.. There. I glanced back at her and was surprised to see a hand covering her mouth in shock. Curious, I looked down to see the damage.

I could feel my gut running in circles at the sight of it.

My parts looked horrible! Bruises had covered the area around my pelvis and I could blood escaping from there. Maybe that... _thing_ he stuck in my insides weren't supposed to go there. Trying not to panic, I gripped my hands around hers as my vision started to fade into blackness.

"Get a _dottore! _Now!" Were the last words I heard before I slipped into the dark. I really hated the dark.

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><p>So.. How was it? Long, I know. I'm sorry for that. _; I hope you all enjoyed it. :D<p>

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><p>Dottore = Doctor<p>

Mio dio = my god

nobili = nobles

puttana = whore/bitch

Aiutatemi = help me

mi scusi = I'm sorry

signorina = miss

mi padre = (my) father

ragazza = girl

idiota = idiot/dumbass


	2. It's Too Soon

Ahhh, only one review, but it gave the motivation to start the next chapter. I usually don't do chapters until I get a review, and this one was fast! I really appreciate that you like my writing, because I'm very sensitive about my talents. T^ T Please enjoy chapter two, and a shout out to **EPICnicole** for being my first reviewer. Thank you Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Instead of making one big chapter, chapter 2 will be split into 3 different chapters~

Also I drew more pictures of Annata and one with Ezio in it. ;D BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!

**The link is my homepage!**

**Recap**: First chapter was about the main character, Annata, and her past. Over the course of ten years, her body formed into something parallel of an acrobat's, making the ringmaster have to kick her out of the circus. But, after he told her the news and she begged him to stay, Francesco de' Pazzi (after watching her perform in Venezia), decided he was going to buy her with the help of some slavers. Her master didn't want to do that to her, but money was running low and he had no way of finding her a home to stay. Though, he didn't know what they were going to do to her.

Annata escaped using her acrobatics, but paid little attention to the roads as she ran into a moving carriage. She had a prominent wound on her head and it caused her to be captured quickly. After her wound were dressed, Francesco came out of no where and kicked the wind out of her. He dismissed the guards and began to say things she didn't understand or know about, which confused and scared her to no end. Her fears were met when he penetrated her body and raped her.

After a few hours, she was able walk out of the carriage. She didn't know where she was but the minute she stepped out, she was noticed and had to make an escape. With her hands tied behind her back, she ran circles around the city and evaded the guards successfully, but at a price. Her wounds grew worse from the stress and she was emotionally distressed. She noticed Ezio kissing his lover (Cristina) good night and yelled for him to help, which he did with no hesitation. After they hid from the guards and had a small conversation, he carried her to the Palazzo and had his mother and sister take care of her. Unbeknownst to him, she suffered more than a head injury. The chapter ended with her passing out from blood loss.

Phew, that was a long recap! I added more to it than the story had so you can understand it a bit more. I hope the recap helps in a way.

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><p>On the Quiet<p>

Chapter 2 - It's Too Soon

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><p>All I could remember was the darkness before me. There were no dreams and no visions, just a never-ending sea of black. It was as if I was trapped in the night sky with no stars to lead the way home. It didn't last long, though. While trapped, gravity doubled in force and brought me into the ground. I tried to fight it with all of my power, but it was no use and I was slammed into reality.<p>

I screamed in shock and sprang up from my laying position, my whole body sweating and trembling profusely from the unknown feeling. I had never dreamt like this before. This was either an omen or something that had to do with me passing out beforehand. I placed a hand on my head, trying to look around the room for any familiar surroundings. To my dismay, this room was completely unknown to me. In front of the bed I was laying in there was desk with books and a lit lamp on it, and on the side of me was.. On the side of me-

"Oh!" I jumped in surprise and quickly covered myself, only to see that I had been dressed in a man's tunic. (It may not have been much, but it still did the job of hiding my nudity.) I looked at the person next to me and blushed, his handsome face painted with worry. I had never seen his face before now, but I had never expected it to look the way he did. Not to mention that his dark, tanned skin gave him a glow that just multiplied his handsomeness.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a soft tone of voice. I could almost feel the sincerity booming through his mind and felt bad about causing so much trouble just for me to leave the next day, but my mind was already set on it. It was an unvoiced goal, an unknown desire to anyone but myself. I cringed my eyebrows and turned my head, not wanting to answer him directly. I don't want to be redundant, but it was really embarrassing to be in a situation like this, unable to defend myself. I was beyond trained! I practiced more than on style of martial arts, and let a small blow to the head cause me this much trouble! Not to mention the fact that I wasn't able to untie myself in my state of panic. If it were part of a performance I'd be out of it within a few minutes- no, less than that!

"I'm fine," I responded , keeping my eyes on the other side of the room, opposite of Ezio. It's not that I was lying to the man, I really didn't feel any pain. Whatever the doctor gave me in my moments of silence must have really did the trick. Speaking of that, how long was I out for? It could have been a few hours, a few days... Weeks. Using my peripheral vision, I glanced back to the side where Ezio was, only to see that he disappeared from the chair he was sitting on. Taken aback, I looked around the room for any of the other souls that lived in his home. I let out an exasperated sigh. People confused me.

I laid back down in the bed, letting my head rest against the head board in what seemed like an uncomfortable position. I suddenly remembered my injury and felt the place on my head where it would be. There was almost nothing there. There was a part of my hair missing where the injury was, but I figured that my hair was long enough to cover it up with ease. The scab that remained was only visible if you wanted to see it, or at least that's what it felt like. If this was merely the second day, I would still be in some pain, right? I doubted that there was some miracle medicine out there to patch up wounds this quickly.

My ears perked up to the sound of footsteps getting closer to the room I was in. At that moment, I began to think. Why didn't I get up and leave already? I felt fine; fine enough to get up, begin training, and plan my new life. Maybe it was a part of my conscience, something telling me that I shouldn't leave these people without saying goodbye. (If not that then something very close to that.) I turned my head to see Ezio's mom walk in with a smile on her face, and an unknown man behind her looking at me with curiosity. Who was he?

"I'm glad to hear that you're alright." Said his mother, who now sat in the chair where he sat beforehand. I looked at her and smiled before I nodded in agreement, slightly glancing at the unknown man. He looked similar to Ezio, but I couldn't really put my finger on it. His presence didn't seem ominous or evil, nor did it seem like he had some ulterior motive. He just seemed worried. After taking my short look at him, I decided to speak to the mother for the first time since I met her.

"My name..." I paused for a minute. What **was** my name, really? Master never told me my real birth name that my parents gave to me, and named me something he felt fit after training me for a few years. I remembered that it started with an A.. I dragged out my sentence a few more seconds and recalled the name he had given me: Annata. He said it meant 'grace' in italian.

"My name is Annata." I finished the statement proudly, and as my gift I was given a pat on the shoulder. (It was better than nothing at all.) Her smile began to melt my heart and I bore one similar to her's. Without saying a word to me, she turned to the man across the room.

"Why don't you introduce yourself, _Giovanni._" I looked at him, still smiling, glad to finally know his name. I became a little tense as he walked to the bed, but was surprised when he walked up to the mother and placed his arm around her shoulders, using his other one to reach out for a handshake. Relieved, I gladly replied to it.

"Giovanni Auditore da Firenze." He said confidently as he shook my hand.

"And if you didn't know by now, this is my loving wife, Maria." She nodded her head into a slight bow when her name was said, showing me the respect that she wanted me to show her. (Or at least this is how I thought these things worked.) My smile slowly faded as my eyes ventured to the door once more, only to see no one there. Where was Ezio? He surely left to tell his parents that I was awake, but never bothered to come in the room afterwards? _'What an asshole,_' I thought to myself. Without hesitation, I moved to the edge of the bed and stood up next to the couple, surprising them.

"Are you sure you're okay to move?" I nodded and she moved from her husband, placing her hand on my shoulder and guiding me to the door.

"The others are waiting for you downstairs." My head snapped in her direction, feeling bad that I called Ezio an asshole a few moments ago. I stopped walking with her and twiddled with the tunic I was wearing. I was nervous; I didn't want to get to know these people so well. I might get attached and not want to leave him, staying here like a lost puppy instead of doing things the way I wanted. Giovanni walked out of the room without us, probably to let the others know I was coming downstairs.

"Everyone is anxious to meet you." She said softly.

"What do you mean, **everyone**?" I retorted, immediately feeling bad about snapping at her. I should have just acted cute, saying something stupid like 'really' or 'do you mean it?' But no, I decided to let my tongue slip.

"My family, of course." Maria said without pause. I bit my lip and sucked in a breath through my nose, letting go of my tunic and grabbing her hand. She said that it's time to go and we started walking out of the room and into the hallway. Everything in the home was so nice. There were paintings, tapestry, statues, and anything else you could dream of. I slowly forgot my nervousness while examining the home, quickly catching my feet as we descended down a staircase. I looked up at the ceiling and spotted a nice chandelier, the candles that it held up making the whole room glitter with beauty. It was actually very big, the size looked as if I could just reach up above my head and touch it. We weren't walking very fast, and I stared at the hand that was holding Maria's. Her hand was so slim and beautiful, like someone who was born to play an instrument. If she didn't know how to play, maybe I could show her when we met again in the future.

Without realizing that my nervousness had finally dissipated, we entered the room where everyone was chatting. My eyes immediately locked onto Ezio without hesitation, but retreated back to the middle of the room when turned to look at me. Instead I looked around the room for a few seconds, deducing that this was the dining area of the home. The table and long and a dark brown color that matched the deep red walls, and the curtains and decorations similar to everything around the home made it elegant in every way. They were all sitting in their respectful places on the table, leaving one seat free for me to plant my bottom on. Wanting to break the silence, I let go of Maria's hand and walked to the empty chair. It was pretty comfortable despite it being made out of wood.

There was an older brother, who charmingly introduced himself as Federico. He walked up to me, kissed my hand gently, and smiled. I could feel my heart melt in his presence, much like his mother not too long ago. Though, his presence came off as someone more friendly than charming, like someone who would remain a loyal friend for the rest of your life- no strings attached. I saw their eyes veer to my right, where a young boy was sitting and twiddling his thumbs with nervousness. I immediately connected to the nervous boy, who was rushed to introduce himself. Petruccio, what a nice name for a boy his age. I was about to sigh, but was interrupted quickly.

My heart literally skipped a beat when they started asking me questions. Where was I from, where do I live, what happened to me the other night, why did I have a wound on my head, and anything in between them. I felt overwhelmed for a minute. My name is Annata, I am a circus performer, I have no parents, I'm from this town (the only question I lied on). I answered every question quickly and as simply as possible, except for the only one Ezio asked, which was what happened that night. The moment he spoke his question, the whole family froze in anticipation, their eyes locked on me like I was going to be supper tonight. My mouth opened and closed several times. I didn't know how to say it. What did he do to me? Why did he do it? I couldn't explain all those things without sounding like an idiot! I had no knowledge of things like romance and the difference between and boy and a girl's parts (besides breasts of course).

"Francesco..." I began, unsure of what I was going to say. When I tried to think about it, the horrible memories came flooding back and I didn't want to say any of it anymore. I forced back my tears and began to feel my legs tremble. This had much more of an impact on me than I thought it would. Why was it so hard?

"De' Pazzi?" I heard Ezio exclaim. I nodded and watched as he fumed out of the room and into the next. I heard a door slam behind him, which meant that he was now stomping around outside. I looked up at Maria questioningly, pointing in the direction where Ezio fled. I was amazed by it all; I didn't even have to explain! All I did was say his name and they knew what happened, like they were psychic. They briefly explained the ongoing feud between Ezio and Veiri, and how this information only made it get worse. They've always been down each other's throats, and being part of rival banks didn't help that either. It was apparently started between a fight over a girl they both liked.

I nodded and looked around the room for a clock, trying to figure out what time of day it was and how long I was out, but that was nearly impossible to know in my situation. The sun was beaming brightly in the window, so it had to be somewhere around noon or later. I was curious and worried to know. I couldn't go without training for a few days, or my muscles would retaliate and become extremely sore after my next training session. Dreading the answer, I asked.

"How long was I out?" I inquired, looking at each family member. They seemed reluctant to answer me, but Federico was the first one to speak up.

"You were out for three days," He began, immediately making me clench my fists. That was too long! By now I wouldn't be able to train properly, and it would take up to a week to get my muscles back to their former strength. By the look of things, it would take even longer to find a way out of this place- or at least somewhere to stay.

".. And Ezio refused to leave your side." I twisted my head to Claudia, who said that in a cheeky way, as if she would be teasing him now if he were in the room. Federico chuckled and adding some of his humor to the conversation, but I didn't really understand what he was saying. I felt the blood rush to my face and I blushed, unsure whether to be flattered or freaked out. I never really had someone care about me this much, especially strangers. Remembering why I came down to talk to them in the first place, I forced my face into something serious and spoke. It took a lot of will power to tell them I had to leave, especially with them now protesting my decision. I had no place to stay, no money, no clothes, and no relatives, but I wasn't going to tell them any of that. I had to make something up.

"I- I have family not far from here. I'm sure they'll be happy to see me." I said this while both my hands were waving in front my chest and my eyes were in a different direction from them. I was a bad liar, but they didn't know me, so it would be easier for me. If I were trying to lie to master, he'd have me running drills for the whole night. It seemed like they wanted to protest again, but they knew I was just going to make up more excuses. Sighing, Maria walked up to me and offered some clothes and money, since I didn't have anything on me. I didn't necessarily want to, but I knew it was either that or run around the streets naked. I didn't want that to happen again.

I stood up, ready to get dressed into something more tolerable and be on my way. Claudia immediately volunteered to help me dress, with Maria following behind us. I looked back at the boys as I was being dragged out of the room, trying to get a glimpse of their faces one last time before I left their home. I guess Claudia was something of a fashion diva, seeing that she introduced me to her closet full of eloquent dresses. I recoiled, seeing as I resented dresses. They were too floofy and hard to run around in, not to mention how much it would interfere with my training and exercises. Besides that, they looked too expensive to just take from her. What if she really wanted to wear one of those again one day?

"I'm sorry, I don't **do** dresses." Which was completely true. I felt like gagging just by looking at them, actually.

"How can you call yourself a woman?" She said with her hands on her hips. Okay, so she was mad.

"I-I'm sorry. I've never liked them.." I rubbed the back of my neck, regretting saying what I said. Maybe I should have just taken the dress and went on my way. I never thought ahead sometimes.

"What have you been wearing, then?" I heard Maria ask out of curiosity. She didn't seem like the type of person to impose her ideals and wants on other people, so I didn't hold it against her. I had a bad habit of being nosy myself. (Maybe it was a woman thing.)

"Shirts and pants." They both looked at me with a blank stare, making me gulp. It's as if their eyes were saying 'that's all?'

"A-and leotards..." I blushed after I told them about my performing clothes. It must have been hard to imagine me in those types of clothes, especially since my body grew to what it is now. They both looked at each other and made a nonverbal agreement, deciding to dress me in pants and a snug shirt. The pants were a little tight around my hips but they were loose enough for me to move around more than normal. The shirt fit around me well, but it was still obvious I was a female. They wrapped a sash cleanly around my waist, tightening the bulge of clothes collecting there. Maria walked out the room briefly and Claudia commanded me to sit at her vanity mirror, wanting to fix my hair. Trying to strike a small conversation with me, she began to talk about womanhood and marriage, and if I didn't start dressing like a woman I wouldn't have any chance in fetching a good man. I simply responded by telling her that I will worry about it when the time comes, and now wasn't a time to think too much of it.

I heard the door creep open. I looked in the mirror and smiled to see Maria walk in with what looked like an old pair of boots. From where I was sitting, they looked like they would be able to reach right below my knees. That was better than perfect. I tried getting up, but Claudia quickly yanked my hair, determined to finish what she started. Thinking about it for a moment, I never looked at the way she was fixing my hair. My bangs were out of my eyes and two long locks of hair were sitting at both sides of my face, and my hair was tied up in a loose (but pretty) bun. It showed that I had long hair, but also showed that I liked to keep it neat. I thought I looked really pretty like this.

"There, all done." She said with confidence. I smiled at my hair and lightly touched the locks in front of my face, making sure they were real. I had never done my hair pretty like this, it was always tied up in a really tight bun at the top of my head, or not in one, which was normally for me to sleep with or go outside with. Even then it was in a bun most of the time.

"Thanks!" I said when I stood up, going towards the boots. I loved shoes, and everything about them. It could be heels, boots, performing shoes, it didn't matter. Whatever covered my feet and kept the clean were considered shoes to me. I put on the boots quickly while standing, snapping the sides tightly so they wouldn't fall off of my feet while running or training. Maria handed me a small pouch with some florins in it, which I didn't want to take. I stared at it for a minute before taking it, unable to decide whether I was even going to spend it on anything. Claudia opened the door and showed me the way out. While walking out of the room, I saw the family standing in the room where the front door was, telling me to come visit and check in some time. I was touched and agreed, thanking them for everything they've done for me and saying I will never forget any of them for as long as I lived.

I was taken aback when Federico offered to walk me to my relative's home, my fabricated story now becoming something I had to face. I quickly declined and walked out the door, saying my last goodbyes to the family, and sighing in relief. I had never been so nervous in front of people before. I took my time walking away from the palazzo and admired the beauty they had put into it. There must have been a lot of time and money put into the building, considering the interior designs as well. Wasting little time, I slipped the pouch on my sash and walked out of the building, looking left and right. The incident with the carriage last time made me more cautious.

I didn't know which way to go. Either way, I'd be running around town like an idiot with nothing to do and nowhere to go. I didn't even know a good spot where I could train in silence! Turning left, I hoped I wouldn't regret my decision. That's when my body slammed into another's sending us both to the ground.

"_Stronzo! _Watch where you ar-" The voice cut itself off upon looking at me, and I couldn't help at blush who was before me. It was none other than Ezio, the guys who saved me and didn't leave my bed for three days. I blushed as he got up and gave me a helping hand to my feet.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't see-"

"Where are you going?" He almost demanded. I could tell his worry overlapped his anger, but there was surely some anger there. I cringed and scratched the side of my head, cheeks still flushed red.

"I have relatives here." God, Ezio, please believe my lie! My heart skipped a beat when he folded his arms, making me jump a little.

"Oh, is that so?" He bit at me. His worried gaze was now a glare.

"And where is that?" Damn you, Ezio! At least the rest of your family didn't ask that! I had to think of something quick, something that towns always had.

"Uhh.. _Sono contadini!_" I blurted out, unsure whether this city had some type of farming district or not. If not, then the farmers probably lived outside the city limits and came back to sell them. Though, the only thing I was worried about was him believing my horrible lying skills.

"Why don't you just stay with us, at the _Palazzo_?" He stated, pointing at the building he was now leaning against.

"At least de' Pazzi can't get you there." My chest felt a sting of regret flowing through it now. He was only worried about me, and I had to be the one to run out safety's way the first chance I got. My mind was in turmoil as my feelings over weighed my logic, not wanting to cause trouble for a nice family, but not wanting to be in harm either. But I already left; I already took what I needed and left the home. There was no way me to return with what honor I had left. Unable to come up with something else, I tried running away from the conversation, but he caught my arm with ease and faced me. I was already embarrassed, and being almost a foot away from his face didn't help my inability to communicate. I quickly pulled my arm away from him and stood in the spot he left me in, not wanting him to grab me again if I tried to run.

"I-I-I..." I sighed and sucked in a breath, creating an awkward pause between us. I bravely looked up at him and into his golden brown eyes, almost being swooned by his handsome features.

"I'll make my family worry.. And Uh.." I almost lost my voice.

"I'll just burden yo-" There it was again. He snapped and smacked his hand against the wall next to him. I took a step back, not wanting to make someone I didn't even know angry. This was really getting awkward for me. Then, like magic, his body quickly stopped being tensed and he sighed in defeat. Was I forgetting something?

"Did you forget?" He asked softly. Wow, he can read minds too! Wait, that would mean he knew I was lying to him! He didn't say anything about me lying, so I guessed that he didn't have the ability to read minds. Perhaps it was just a coincidence. He moved his free hand into two fingers and stroked my chin gently, making my already red cheeks even darker.

"A burden from a beautiful woman like you doesn't exist.." He leaned in a little closer to my face, which made me very uneasy. My knees bucked as I felt his breath against my face, my body unable to react. I had to run! My first kiss! My parts may have been touched but my lips were going to be saved for a special moment! I screamed and pushed him away, taking a few steps back and covering my mouth securely.

"Did I do something wrong..?" I wanted to nod uncontrollably and yell at him for trying to take my first kiss, but I simply shook my head and let go of my face. I could hear my heartbeat thumping loudly in my ears and my breathing was getting heavy. I had to get out of there and leave, I couldn't take it anymore! Everything felt like it was on fire!

"No.." I stated, placing a hand on my chest.

"Too soon..." Was all I could muster before waving goodbye and running away as fast as I could. I wish I could have said goodbye a different way, maybe gave him a hug or something, but he was too much of a personal person for me. I may not meet him anytime soon, or so I hoped. The future was always a mystery.

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><p>Not as long as the first one, but you know how these things work. -.- Been trying so hard to write it but it feels so slow and boring to write, but the third chapter is a little more interesting for me, so I'll try to get that finished ASAP!<p>

Also, I've been back and forth to the doctor, but my last appointment is monday so I'll have more time to write! The sad part is that I'm getting a job soon so that'll cut down a lot of my free time. ):

I'm sorry if this was slow for you, too! Please point out any mistakes, I'll fix them right away.

Palazzo - Palace(mansion)

Stronzo(a) - bitch/asshole

Sono contadini! - They're farmers


End file.
